Every church leader desires to see their members living a life on mission, both inside and outside the church. In this episode, Jeff Ward (Director of External Focus) joins John & Adam to discuss some of the ways he and his team work hard to mobilize the church.

Leadership is rarely more difficult than when facing a crisis. In this episode, John McGee reflects on a recent crisis that impacted his family and what he learned about leadership in the midst of navigating some very difficult circumstances.

Community Groups are a big deal here at Watermark and a ministry we take very seriously. In this episode, John Elmore (Director of Community and Director of re:generation) jumps into the podcast studio to share what we've been learning about how to lead a healthy Community Group ministry.

If your church staff or volunteer team is made up of more than one person, then you've experienced conflict. In this episode, Todd Wagner discusses practical ways to deal with conflict and how to best embrace the opportunity conflict provides.

Is self-leadership even possible? Adam & John jump into the podcast studio to discuss this popular leadership topic and try to clear up some common misconceptions.

Todd Wagner once again jumps into the podcast studio with John & Adam. The topic of discussion this time is the idea of "celebrity pastors" and why many pastors fall, regardless of whether or not they are a "celebrity pastor."

Kyle Kaigler, the campus pastor in Plano, joins Adam and John to discuss seven principles of building teams. This podcast will challenge you to build teams, give ministry away and be intentional about developing others.Why is this topic so important (4:00)1) It makes disciples. 2) Builds ownership for people.3) You get more work done.4) You have more fun.Seven Principles of Team Building1) Be courageous (5:10)One of the things Watermark is known for is the courage of our senior leaders. When you build teams with lay leaders, it build courage. We sometimes fire volunteers and that takes courage, but it sets the bar for what we expect.2) Bring energy (6:24) Regardless of whether or not you are in introvert or extrovert, you need to be excited about what you are leading. That comes from your walk with Christ. As you recruit teams, look for those who are excited.3) Have fun (8:32) "Life’s too short to not do ministry with people you love." – Kyle Kaigler 'Be creative with your team to have fun.4) Know yourself (9:56) Pay attention to your own heart. To build teams you need to know your strengths and weaknesses and build teams around those. Have your identity in Christ, know your gifts and give things away. Get to the point where you have more fun watching lay leaders lead.5) Play chess, not checkers (11:33) Know your people. In checkers all pieces do the same thing. In chess every piece does something different. People are different and you need to know them and deploy them well. Pray for it, wait for it. Wait for God to bring along the right people.6) You set the bar (13:35) As you are building lay leaders, you have to tell them your expectations. You need to delegate responsibility and authority. When Jesus sent out the 70, he delegated authority and responsibility. This gives people ownership. What people own usually grows.7) Provide candid feedback (14:35) You need a culture of handling conflict well. We want to build a culture where people freely, yet lovingly, share candid feedback. People will only get better if they get quality feedback. Expect what you inspect.8) Why don’t more church leaders do this? We feel like we need to be the man or the woman, because we are insecure. Study Exodus 18:17-26 – this passage is so full of team building principles. Questions or comments? Email clp@watermark.org. Application Questions1) Do you struggle to give ministry away? If so, why do you think that is? 2) Which of the seven principles do you feel like you are doing well? Where could you grow? 3) What volunteer or staff member needs you to give them feedback? 4) What are some practical ways you can help your team have more fun?

Benson Hines, Director of External Mobilization, joins Adam and John to discuss recruiting volunteers. This podcast will challenge you to not simply fill needs within or outside the church. Instead, view opportunities to serve as a path towards discipleship.

Blake Holmes shares five common mistakes young leaders make.

Jonathan Pokluda discusses how to lead through seasons of discouragement.